Originally published in the April 3, 2009
edition of Collegiate Baseball

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.

Editor/Collegiate Baseball

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Never in the history of college baseball has a pitcher
thrown a fastball 102 mph and averaged 19.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Until now.

San Diego State 6-foot-4,
220-pound RHP Stephen Strasburg hit the magic 102 mph plateau seven times during
his second start of the season against Nevada and has been striking batters out
at a record clip.

If he continues at his current
pace of 19.4 strikeouts per nine innings, he will obliterate the NCAA Division I
record of 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings held by Ryan Wagner of Houston during
the 2003 season.

In the five games he has pitched
this season, he has struck out 44 of 45 starting batters at least once.

In four of his five starts, he
was named Louisville Slugger National Player of The Week after striking out 16
batters in 6 2/3 innings against Nevada, 18 against the University of San Diego
over 8 innings (the second most in a game ever by a Mountain West Conference
pitcher), 14 in 7 innings against UNLV, and 15 in 7 innings against Brigham
Young.

Over the last two years,
Strasburg has done something no other college player has ever done being named
Louisville Slugger National Player of The Week an unprecedented seven times.

His most memorable outing was a
23 strikeout performance against Utah last season, tying for the third most ever
in a college game and the most since the 1981 season. That performance set new
San Diego State and Mountain West Conference single game records.

That game marked the second of
six consecutive starts in which he reached double digit strikeout numbers.
During that string of contests, he allowed only two runs (one earned) over 55
innings from March 20-May 8 and ended the season with 133 strikeouts and only 16
walks.

His numbers are just as imposing
this season after five appearances: 4-0 record, 1.57 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 7 walks
in 34 1/3 innings.

How this incredibly talented
pitcher was not taken in the Major League Draft three years ago, which featured
1,502 selections over 50 rounds, and more importantly 762 pitchers, more than
half of the selections, is a story in itself.

As a senior at West Hills High
School in Santee, Calif., Strasburg was then 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds and
considered chubby by pro scouts with a fastball that touched 90 mph.

Even worse, scouts felt he had a
poor mental makeup as he snapped at infielders who made errors or challenged
umpires on ball strike calls. He even questioned his high school coach at times
all within earshot of scouts.

After Strasburg enrolled at San
Diego State, he found out the main reason he wasn’t drafted was his poor mental
makeup which he learned about from his Pitching Coach Rusty Filter.

“They didn’t think I was good
enough and doubted my abilities to play Division I baseball. I was insulted that
I wasn’t drafted at the time. But I knew during my senior year of high school
that I didn’t want to go into pro ball the next year and instead play for San
Diego State. I knew I would grow as a person and a player there.

“Apparently scouts didn’t like
it when I got upset at pitches not being called strikes. My body language was
not what they wanted to see. I consider myself a pretty tough competitor. But
the fact of the matter is that they felt I was soft. I felt they judged me from
the beginning without ever taking the time to learn who I was as a person. I
guess they will pay the price for that now.

“I feel I have improved a lot in
that area of my game. But I have always had a competitive drive to be the best
pitcher I could be. That has never, ever been a problem with me.”

In the history of the
Professional Draft which goes back 43 years to 1965, only seven players have
vaulted from an undrafted high school senior to the No. 1 pick overall three
years later in college.

Research done by Mike Teevan,
manager of media relations with Major League Baseball, shows that six pitchers,
all righthanders, and one third baseman, were not drafted after high school but
became the first overall pick in the draft three years later in college.

San Diego State University RHP
Stephen Strasburg will undoubtedly be the next in line.

Going From
90-102 MPH

Once Strasburg enrolled at San
Diego State, he began an intense weight training and running program that
allowed him to drop 30 pounds in a little over four months. Before you knew it,
he had gone from 250 pounds to an athletic 220 pound frame packed with muscle.

“During the fall of my freshman
year, I lost 15 pounds in my initial conditioning. Then they gave us a workout
program to do over Christmas break, and that is when I lost the other 15 pounds.

“Once I started to lift
correctly for the first time in my life, my body started to transform into a
more athletic direction.”

Strasburg was asked how he
increased his velocity from 90 mph out of high school to 102 mph which he hit
seven times during his second outing of this season — a difference of 12 mph.

“When I dropped the 30 pounds,
matured athletically and grew into my body, I threw harder. I didn’t change my
mechanics one bit. In high school, I was never really taught how to lift and
properly condition my body. When I came to San Diego State, I learned how to
bench press properly for the first time, how to squat for the first time. I just
took it from there. My arm is just a lot stronger now, along with the rest of my
body.”

During his freshman season, he
served as the closer for the Aztecs and pitched in 25 games. He recorded 7 saves
while allowing only 10 earned runs. In each outing, he became stronger mentally
because he knew he could pitch against NCAA Division I hitters as his velocity
topped out at 93 mph.

During the fall of his sophomore
season, his velocity jumped 8 mph higher as he registered 101 mph during an
intrasquad game. He hit that several more times during the 2008 season.

Then in his second outing of the
2009 season against Nevada, he hit 102 mph seven times as he fanned 16 batters
in 6 2/3 innings.

“It has been amazing to watch
the transformation,” said San Diego State Pitching Coach Rusty Filter, now in
his 16th season in charge of hurlers with the Aztecs.

“We didn’t change anything
mechanically with him. But he has gone through a big change physically. His body
has really transformed.

“Over the last few years with a
good weight and conditioning program, he has increased velocity steadily.”

Filter was asked how Strasburg’s
arm speed has increased so dramatically at San Diego St.

“You usually see an increase
with guys who come from high school. But to make a jump like this is simply
amazing. It is nothing specific that we have done. We haven’t reinvented
pitching here. We do a lot of things that have been done for many years. What
helped him initially was being put in the closer’s role as a freshman. He had to
be ready to go every night, and he took care of his arm as well.

“Stephen has worked extremely
hard. He long tosses, does cord work and does arm circles just like many
pitchers do. The key has been listening to his arm so that he doesn’t overdue
it.

“Sometimes magic things happen
to pitchers, and it is difficult to put your fingers on what precisely caused
the velocity change.”

To put Strasburg’s incredible
velocity jump in perspective, only eight pitchers in Major League baseball
history have been radar gunned at 102 mph or higher.

According to the Baseball
Almanac, the eight include:

Ø
Joel Zumaya (104.8 mph in
2006).

Ø
Mark Wohlers (103 mph in
1995).

Ø
Armando Benitez (102 mph
in 2002).

Ø
Bobby Jenks (102 mph in
2005).

Ø
Randy Johnson (102 mph in
2004).

Ø
Matt Lindstrom (102 mph
in 2007).

Ø
Robb Nen (102 mph in
1997).

Ø
Justin Verlander (102 mph
in 2007).

Prior to the invention of the
Jugs Radar Gun in 1975, two other pitchers threw over 102 mph, according to
The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball.

Stories from the early 1960s
said that Steve Dalkowski threw his fastball 105 mph and possibly harder.

Hall of Famer Bob Feller
supposedly threw 104 mph during the 1941 season at Lincoln Park in Chicago.

Strasburg’s
Pitch Selection

Strasburg was asked what pitches
he brings to the table.

“I have a 4-seam fastball with 6
inches of run, a 2-seam fastball that sinks along with a slider with late break
and changeup which has the action of a split-finger when thrown correctly. I
have the same release point with all of my pitches which makes it very tough on
hitters.

“Hitters can’t tell whether I am
throwing a fastball or slider because both deliveries are identical as well as
the release point. I don’t snap my wrist. I just stay behind the pitch.
Everything then looks the same. My slider is definitely my go to pitch for
strikeouts. Batters say it is very tough to hit.”

Strasburg was asked whether it
feels any different to his arm and body to throw pitches 102 mph compared to 90
mph in high school.

“The thing I have noticed is
that the plate appears much closer than it did in high school. Maybe it is
because once I release a pitch, it gets there a lot faster than in high school.

“Other than that, it feels
pretty much the same. I’m putting in the same amount of effort on pitches as I
did in high school. I’m just a lot stronger.”

Since Strasburg has become a
specialist in the strikeout, he was asked if he has any favorite moments of
hitters throwing bats, helmets or other such antics after they are called for
strike three.

“What I like to see is the
batter’s knees get wobbly when I throw a slider. Since it has late break, it is
fun to watch the hitter after it breaks into the zone for strike three. My
slider velocity is anywhere from 80-83 mph.”

Strasburg said that he follows
the same routine after his starts and is consistent with it.

“After I pitch in a game
(usually on Fridays), I don’t throw the next day which features a lot of
running. On Mondays, I am in the weight room doing a core workout. Tuesday is a
bullpen day. After that, I keep my arm healthy for the next start. On the day of
games, I try to stay loose and not try to overanalyze too many things going into
the game. If I can just do my thing, I should be successful.”

Precision
Control

Strasburg’s control is simply
amazing.

Last season, he only walked 16
batters and struck out 133 in 97 1/3 innings as he posted an 8-3 record and 1.57
ERA.

So far in 2009, he has been on
track with his control with only 7 walks and 74 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.

He was asked how he has such
impeccable control.

“My mechanics are very basic and
very easy to repeat. If you have repeatable mechanics, you have a great chance
of throwing a lot of strikes consistently.

“I have always had good command
of my pitches. Since I didn’t always throw this hard, I had to learn how to
locate pitches properly in order to be successful.”